Clarity
by InMyOwnWords
Summary: Black Manta wants nothing more than to care for his son, so that he doesn't end up the way he did; broken, jaded, and angry.
1. Chapter 1

**A fill done for the YJ Anon Meme: One of Black Manta's back stories is that he was autistic orphan who was thrown into an asylum and tortured. There was a procedure done that "fixed" him, but left him extremely violent. The prompt was to write story about how Kaldur was the same way as his father, and his mother and Aquaman send him to an asylum, and David saves him.**

**It's a multi chapter story just so you know. :)**

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><p>David was livid. They tried to put his son…<em>his<em> son in the Godforsaken place he had been forced to grow up in. He knew he should've never trusted that woman. He loved her, _for five years_, he loved that woman, and she went back to her home with their son claiming that she couldn't trust him.

That made him want to laugh, _she couldn't trust him_. What a load of bullshit. She was ready to throw their son away into an asylum that would just torture him like they had done to David. He just happened to be on his boat when he heard her and that infuriating Aquaman he'd also come to loathe.

He had a steady job now, he was at sea where he wanted to be, and his current location just happened to be a blessing in disguise. He was just about to pack up, and go home for the night when he heard the familiar, soothing voice of the woman he'd fallen in love with so many years ago. He had to see her to believe what he was hearing. He found a nice spot to hide and watched as she stood there with Aquaman. In her arms was a small boy; his thumb was in his mouth and his eyes were closed. He had an unruly blond fringe, and mocha colored skin. He was mesmerized. No, not by her, by him. He already knew who the little boy was, and any hatred he felt for her and the blonde hero melted away and his only thoughts were on his child.

"I cannot take care of him…I don't understand what he wants or needs. Your scientists haven't been able to help him, and I heard about this place on the surface world that could help…" She whispered.

Arthur took a deep breath, "I have a friend who would be glad to take—"

"Annex Orin he is my child and I know what is best for him." She said as she stroked her son's soft blonde hair.

'_The hell you do…'_ Thought David bitterly, but he knew to keep his thoughts to himself. He didn't need any attention drawn his way. He watched as she placed their child in Aquaman's arms, kissed his cheek, and swam back towards the wretched land that David wanted no more than to destroy…

He watched angrily as Aquaman carried his son onto the shore and bega0n his trek to Arkham Asylum. David clenched his teeth angrily and knew it would be foolish to go after the boy now, he would have to wait.

"Little Kaldur'ahm, everything will be alright." He heard Aquaman say.

'_Cal Durham eh? Well, at least she listened to me when I told her who I wanted to name him after.'_ David thought while rolling his eyes.

Instead of going home and going to sleep like he'd planned, David began plotting. His plotting began with, first baby proofing his apartment, and making plans to go to the store to make the place as child-friendly as possible. He was going to get his son back, and raise him right. He didn't want his little boy growing up to hate everyone as he did. He wanted Cal to live normally. It was obvious he had what afflicted David when he was a child. He wouldn't let them shock it out of his system as they'd done him, he was going to let his son grow and learn to live with his affliction. He owed it to him.

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><p>It wasn't hard to buy scrubs, and pretend as though he was a nurse in the children's ward. He snorted at the lack of security in the asylum, it had been the same way when he was younger. Some things never changed.<p>

"Thank you, American healthcare system." David muttered as he walked to a familiar looking area of the hospital.

They hadn't even tried to re-paint the children's ward of the hospital. The same fading, chipped, gardens-scape sat on the dusty walls. David growled and picked up his pace; how dare she send their son to this place? How dare Aquaman allow it? He would worry about them later, right now he needed to find Cal and get him home. Hopefully they hadn't traumatized him too much. It would be even harder to care for him then.

David finally came to a familiar looking door that sometimes came back to haunt him in nightmares. He was always shoved behind this door, strapped to the bed, and locked in. He remembered screaming at the top of his lung because the cotton sheets had been so _painful_. That wasn't the case anymore, not since he'd been strapped down to that cold metal slab, and had a 'cure' shocked into his system. Oh sure, everything was clear now, but he was so damn angry all of the time…

Taking a deep breath, David shook all of his head, and tried to rid himself of all of those thoughts. Those were things he needed to get over….he needed to forget them.

"I'm coming Cal." He whispered as he put his hand on the doorknob and gave it a hard jerk.

They hadn't even changed the locks. You could still get in just by jerking the knob hard enough. The door swung open with a high pitched squeak, and David was forced to look into the same dark, dingy, room he'd been forced to grow up in. He glanced at the curled up form on the bed and stepped closer to it. The shaggy blonde hair, and brown skin gave away who it was already.

David bent down towards the little boy gave him a once over. There were plastic ties wrapped around his wrists, and a few scars on his arms where the nurses had sedated him so many times. David scooped the little boy into his arms and resisted the urge to go and kill the first nurse he saw. Right now he just needed to get Cal out of the hospital. He'd worry about the hospital staff later.

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><p>He was screaming. He'd been screaming for what felt like hours. His neighbors were going to eventually call the cops, and that was the last thing he needed. He tried to rack his brain for the things that used to calm him down when he was a child.<p>

_Water_

He looked at the screaming toddler and figured that it wouldn't hurt to try. He walked out of the room he'd set up for the boy and into the bathroom. He ran the water in the bathtub, making sure it was cool enough, then walked into the kitchen to grab some sea salt. He sprinkled a bit into the cool water, and went to go get his son. He'd learned, by looking at the boy's hospital bracelet, that his name was Kaldur'ahm, and not Cal Durham. He supposed it was close enough and let it slide for now.

"Alright Kal, we're going on a fieldtrip." He said as he picked the little boy up.

Kaldur'ahm continued to scream and thrash in David's arms. It was dry, too dry, and hot. Everything was uncomfortable, and he couldn't tell this strange man that he didn't like it. "Everything is going to be fine." David whispered as he placed Kaldur in the cool water without even taking his clothes off.

Immediately Kaldur quieted down and looked around the bathroom. He dipped his hands in the water and waved his arms around a bit. David noticed something change about Kaldur. When he lifted his hands out of the water, he noticed the webbing between his fingers, and the thin slits in his neck. His eyes had even undergone a change; they switched from green to a light grey color that made David furrow his eyebrows. It was obviously an Atlantean trait, but his wife… _ex-wife _hadn't gone through these changes when she came into contact with water.

"You're just full of surprises aren't you kid?" David questioned.

Kaldur looked at the man, then back at the water and let a large smile come to his face. He splashed his hands in the tub, and giggled. David decided it was one of the cutest things he'd ever seen.

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><p>"Kaldur is a smart, smart boy." David repeated for the tenth time.<p>

"Kal, Kal, Kal, Kal, Kal." Kaldur murmured as he patted his father's face with his hands.

David sighed and gave his son a tired smile, "You're doing good kid. How about we take a break? I think you deserve a treat, how does ice cream sound?" He questioned as he stood up, and scooped Kaldur into his arms.

Kaldur stared at David for a few seconds before going back to his chanting. David only shook his head and took the enthusiastic chanting as a yes. He seemed to have established some form of communication with Kaldur. The kid couldn't seem to say anything outside of his own name and water, but David had a few hand signals he'd come up with so he and Kaldur could communicate.

"Let's see, we have chocolate, and vanilla. What do you want?" David questioned as he pulled the cartons of ice cream out of the freezer.

Kaldur glanced at the frozen treats and squeaked when he saw the carton of vanilla. "Kal…Kal…Kal." He chanted.

"If you can't use words use hand signs. Which one do you want?" David questioned.

The toddler grunted and began wringing his hands; a sign that he was beginning to get frustrated. His green eyes filled with tears and he opened his mouth to let out a small whimper.

David sighed and hugged his son to his chest, whispering apologies into his ear. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry son."

Kaldur sniffled and looked at his father, "Kal s…s…s…orry."

"What?" David questioned as he looked into his son's clear green eyes.

"Kal sorry…sorry, sorry, sorry. Kal, Kal, Kal, sorry, sorry, sorry." He chanted.

David smiled and let out a loud laugh, "You have nothing to be sorry about kid, nothing at all."

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><p><strong>There might be another chapter dedicated to Kal's childhood, but I kind of want to move this along...we'll see. :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, the reception for this was great. Thanks for the reviews guys! **

**I own nothing, if I did Roy and Kaldur would've gotten together already.**

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><p>David had no trouble when it came to understanding what Kaldur was going through. The problem was that everyone else seemed to have a problem understanding what Kaldur was going through.<p>

People showed no mercy when Kaldur would have fits in the store, or in any other public place. Some even had the audacity to suggest sending him away. David wondered if these people knew how dangerous 'sending him away' could be. Did they even know that Arkham Asylum didn't help their patients? Hell, look at Joker!

"Sir, you need to either strap him into the cart or hold his hand while walking in the store."

"He has been screaming from the moment you got in here, I'm sorry sir, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"You know, when the mother isn't in the home children tend to act out a little…"

David wasn't shocked, people didn't know what was wrong with Kaldur, they simply thought he was a bad parent. He was appalled that no one seemed to know about autism. There was literature everywhere. But, he supposed that he couldn't expect much from people. He was lucky they didn't try to hall Kaldur off to Arkham themselves.

Currently, Kaldur was sitting in the back of the shopping cart, happily sorting cans, and boxes in various patterns. If David would try to pick something up and put it back on the shelf, Kaldur what swat his hand and begin whining. "Come on Kal, we don't need that. I didn't even notice you pulled it off of the shelf." He chuckled as he grabbed the box of cereal and placed it back on the shelf.

Kaldur only gave him a look that told him he was treading on thin ice, and went back to sorting the groceries. David only laughed at him and continued on down the aisle.

"You shouldn't interrupt them while they're stimming." A soft voice said.

David turned to see a tall, redheaded woman, with golden eyes, looking at him with an amused expression. He furrowed his eyebrows, and cocked his head to the side, "Excuse me?" He questioned.

"Stimming. It helps him in the long run. He's soothing himself, while also stimulating his nervous system. Things change everyday, and stimming is the one norm he has. Don't interrupt him." She said as she walked back the cart, and gave Kaldur's cheek a small pinch.

He looked up from his stack of food items, and smiled at the woman as she walked away. "Well Kal, you have good taste in women. I think you got that from me." David said as he watched the mysterious woman.

"Kal, Kal, Kal, Kal, Kal." The toddler chanted happily.

"Mhmm." David said as he picked up a bottle of cranberry juice. "Hey Kal, you ever miss mommy?"

Kaldur continued to sort, and stack the groceries in the cart. David sighed, and figured he'd ask him later…not that he'd get a straight answer. He wondered briefly if Kaldur needed a mother. Would having a woman around the house make a difference in his development? David shook his head, he knew this had nothing to do with Kaldur. He was lonely. Sure he had Kal, and when he was at school, David was working, but it'd be nice to come home to a wife. Maybe Kal could benefit from having a mother around the house…

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><p>"You were right Arthur, he does have him." Mera said as she crossed her arms over her chest.<p>

"What was he doing? Should we be alarmed? I have to alert Sha'lain'a—"

"Arthur…he is fine. David was just grocery shopping, and from what I have seen he is doing a good job. Sha'lain'a was never able to control Kaldur'ahm the way David has."

"But he kidnapped him!"

"I know you of all people understand losing a child, and wanting nothing more than to get them back." Mera said quietly.

Aquaman narrowed his eyes and shook his head angrily, "That is completely different!"

"No…it is not… Listen, I've been studying Kaldur'ahm's behaviors while on the surface world. Once I learn enough to teach Sha'lain'a so that she may care for him herself, I will bring him back to Atlantis. Until then, David seems to be doing a good job."

Aquaman only sighed and nodded slowly, "Fine Mera…just, be careful around him."

"I shall."

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><p><strong>And the story unfolds! Thanks for reading! Review!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**This is kind of a filler...sorry guys, but it's a pretty good filler. The next chapter will be long, and full of wonderful surprises. :)**

**I own nothing, if I did Roy and Kaldur would've gotten together already.**

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><p>"Honestly David he's doing great. Whatever you're doing with him at home is wonderful. We need to work on his speech, he doesn't understand how to ask for simple things. He's getting better with hand gestures and using noises to tell us things. There are phrases he likes to repeat sometimes. He's done a complete 360, from the little boy you brought over here four years ago."<p>

David nodded as he glanced back at Kaldur, who was busy pacing the floor. He would pace, tap his foot a few times, then go back to pacing. Depending on what direction he was walking in, he would bring his fingers up to his face and move them as if he was making sure they were there. David turned his head back to Kaldur's teacher and gave her a small smile, "Well I'm glad everything is working out here. I was worried that I would never find someone willing to help him besides myself…I'm glad I met you in the grocery store that day Melissa."

Mera nodded and flipped her red hair over her shoulder. She glanced at Kaldur and smiled softly. He really was a sweet child, and she was sure they had gotten him to a point where Sha'lain'a could take care of him with no problem, but she knew it wouldn't be fair to David. She couldn't bring herself to take Kaldur from his father. Their bond was something she wouldn't dare break in fear of reversing all of Kaldur's progress.

"I'm glad you did too, and I'm sure Kal is even more grateful. Aren't you Kal?" Mera questioned as she looked up at the little boy.

Normally he wouldn't pay her any mind if she called his name, but today he seemed to be more aware of other people. He looked up and smiled at her, "Thank you." He giggled.

David nearly jumped out of his chair, and screamed for joy, but he didn't want to startle Kaldur, so he simply smiled at him. "That's my boy."

"There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed. If it is unexpressed, it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude." Kaldur said as he began pacing again.

This time both David and Mera stared at the seven-year-old in shock. "Kal? Kal, where did you learn that?" David questioned.

"TV, TV, TV, TV, TV." He chanted, stopping to check his fingers again.

"So you learn from television?" Mera questioned.

"TV, and daddy. Daddy talks a lot." Kaldur told her, as he stopped his pacing.

He looked up in Mera's general direction, David noticed that he still wouldn't look people in the eye, and wiggled his fingers a bit before stopping to talk, "Home?" He questioned.

"I guess that's the end of our conversation Melissa." David chuckled as he stood up.

Mera stood also and smiled at both Kaldur, and David. "I'll see you two tomorrow, and please bring Kaldur's report card with you, I'd like to see how he's doing in school."

"Will do." Davis said as he walked over to Kaldur, and took his hand.

Mera smiled softly at the retreating backs, and hated herself for what she's going to have to do. She was having second thoughts, but Arthur insisted on sticking to their plan. A plan that Mera no longer wanted a part of. David and Kaldur were happy, who were they to break that up?

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><p><strong>Hm. What exactly is the Aquafamily planning?<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**I'll try to move this along, seems to be going a little slow.**

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><p>It took a little convincing, but Mera finally got David to agree to let her take Kaldur to the beach. She hated that she was doing this, but she supposed that Sha'lain'a should be able to see her little boy. She had exactly two hours before David was coming to pick Kaldur up, and it would take thirty minutes to swim to Shayeris if Kaldur was cooperative.<p>

"Alright Kal, are you ready to get into the water?" Mera questioned as the water lapped at her feet.

"Water…" Kaldur whispered as he walked further into the water.

He loved the water, especially ocean water; it was salty, cool, and soothing. It reminded him of something…he couldn't put his finger on what, but he remembered a woman? Maybe even a palace. Of course, father told him stories of queens, and kings, in underwater palaces, so maybe he was just imagining it…

As Kaldur, and Mera waded further into the water, Mera noted the changes Kaldur went through. The webbed fingers, gill slits, his eye color, and the sparkling electricity that indicated he was able to use sorcery fascinated her. She'd never seen anything like it, though Arthur, and Kaldur were the only two half human half Atlantean hybrids she'd ever encountered, she doubted there was anyone else out there like Kaldur.

"Alright, we're going to go to a magical place that you can't tell daddy about, got that?" Mera questioned as she grabbed Kaldur's hand.

The little boy merely nods and instinctively kicks his feet as Mera swims further out into the ocean. It doesn't take long before they begin descending into the water. Instead of getting scared, Kaldur is fascinated by all of the different shades of blue, and sea creatures roaming around. Usually when Kaldur was brought to a new place he either got scared of his new surroundings or tried to get used to them. This time he did neither, he simply stared in awe at everything.

Mera smiled and picked up her pace a little, she wanted to make sure she got down to Shayeris, and back so that David didn't suspect a thing.

As they neared the small city, Mera noticed Kaldur was getting excited. She hoped the boy stayed calm; all she needed was for him to regress after making so much progress. She knew that while he was doing well, the smallest thing could set him off, and cause him to have a tantrum.

"We're going to meet a very special woman Kal. Would you like to meet a very special woman?" Mera questioned.

He didn't pay her any mind; he was too busy staring at the approaching building, and people. He smiled and went to clap his hands, but noticed that he only had one free hand. He tugged away from her, only to have her tighten her grip and frown at him, "We have to stay together honey." She said softly.

Kaldur frowned and grunted angrily as he tried to pull away from her. "Kal, you were being such a good boy. We're almost to our destination, why don't you calm down until we get there?" He questioned.

"No! No! Let go!" He screamed as a surge of electricity hit Mera which caused her to drop his hand and scream in pain.

Kaldur's eyes widened and he stayed frozen in his place. What had he done? Why had that happened? Tears welled in his eyes and a loud wail erupted from his throat. Mera, ignored her stinging hand, and rushed to Kaldur's aid. "Sweetie I'm fine, I'm fine." She said as she wrapped her arms around his thin frame.

He continued to cry as people from Shayeris gathered around the scene. They all wondered why Mera was with a screaming child, and who the screaming child was when one citizen noticed that the child looked familiar.

"Queen Mera, please tell me you haven't brought this…this menace back to us. When we rid ourselves of him, we thought he'd be gone for good!"

"He…he is but a child with differences that surface dwellers know a great deal about. I know how to calm him down…someone just find his mother. Find Sha'lain'a, and bring her here." Mera said as she swam in front of Kaldur.

She didn't need the citizens scaring the poor boy; he was scared enough as it was. "My Queen, what is wrong with your hand?" Another citizen asked.

"It was a small accident, there is nothing to be alarmed about." Mera said calmly.

"It was him wasn't it? From the day he was born we all knew he was going to be a menace. When Sha'lain'a showed up after running off to the surface world, and she was eight months pregnant, we knew it was something of a bad omen. We were right. Who knows who she slept with in order to produce such a…_thing_."

"Enough!" Mera yelled.

"You know Kari'ann, maybe you should hold your tongue, especially when your son wasn't even strong enough to begin his mandatory military service."

The crowd turned to see Sha'lain'a floating behind them. She'd always been a beauty. Her tanned skin, and golden hair attracted many men, but to their dismay she'd chosen some land dweller and created their mess of a child.

She swam over to Kaldur, who was still screaming, and pulled him into her arms. "Shh, my child…quiet down." She whispered in his ear.

Kaldur's screams slowly became whimpers as he clung to his mother. He remembers her soft blonde hair, and warm smile. She makes him happy, she calms him down, she soothes him when the people scream and yell at him…

"It is so good to see you Kaldur'ahm." She says as she kisses his cheek.

The blonde child stares at her in awe, and reaches out to touch her face with his hand. He is mesmerized by this woman, and he wants nothing more than to stay in her arms.

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><p>David paced back on forth on the beach with his cellphone in his hand. "Come on Melissa pick up…" he muttered as he searched for the redhead and his son.<p>

He thought he'd surprise them by getting off of work early and coming to spend the day with them at the beach, but so far he hadn't been able to find them. This was a single father's worst nightmare. What if Melissa had been planning to take Kaldur for years and now she finally had the chance? How could he have been so stupid? How could he have let her take him to the beach? He should have gone with them in the first place.

David took a deep breath, the last thing he needed to do was panic. He dialed 911 and began to walk along the beach, and search for his son. He wasn't aware of a certain blonde king watching him from afar.

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><p><strong>Orin? What <em>are<em> you up to?**


	5. Chapter 5

**I hate to rush this, but honestly I just want to get to the point.**

**I didn't mean for it to be more than three chapters...I don't really plan things out so everything turns into a monster.**

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><p>"My Queen it was so nice of you to bring him here. I am forever in your debt." Sha'lain'a whispered as she stroked Kaldur's hair.<p>

The child clung to his mother, and buried his face her neck. He seemed calm for now, but Mera knew that if he spent too much time away from David he began to get restless.

"Orin has found something that will cure Kaldur'ahm of his sickness." Mera said as she shifted uncomfortably.

She knew she should be getting Kaldur back to the beach, but she couldn't bring herself to tear him away from his mother. Not to mention he might lash out at her again, and the last thing she needed was the Shayerian people thinking he was dangerous. She also made a mental note to herself to start training him. There would be an even bigger problem if Kaldur accidently used his powers while on land. She wondered what the extent of his gifts were; so far he could generate electricity, but she knew there had to be more to it than that.

"What is this method?" Sha'lain'a questioned.

"It's something the doctors in Arkham came up with. It has a very high success rate, Orin even heard from a few parents that the procedure was fool proof." Mera said as she looked at Kaldur who seemed to be falling asleep.

"That's wonderful…though he seems to be doing fine now that he's been on land for a while. What is it that the doctors in the asylum are doing with him?" Sha'lain'a asked.

Mera frowned, she couldn't tell her that David had been taking care of Kaldur. "They just put him through extensive therapy." She said with a small smile.

Sha'lain'a nodded and smiled at her son, "You are very different from the little boy I remember Kaldur'ahm." She sighed as she continued to stroke his hair.

Kaldur stirred, but didn't open his eyes. "Sha'lain'a he's been here long enough…I have to get him back." Mera said as she glanced at the sleeping child.

"Alright… alright…"

Sha'lain'a gently placed Kaldur into Mera's arms and gave him one last kiss on the cheek. "When will he be able to visit again?" She asked.

"After he's cured." Mera said as she turned to leave.

"When will that be?"

Mera sighed, "Soon Sha'lain'a…soon."

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><p>"Calvin I hate to ask this favor of you…" David started.<p>

Calvin Durham shook his head and clapped his friend on the back. "David, your son is missing. This isn't a favor, this is my duty as your best friend, and the godfather of your child, hell, as a decent human being to help you look for him." He said as he walked along the beach.

David sighed, "Cal, I don't know what I'll do if he's…"

"Don't even think like that man. Kal is a special kid, he'll make it out of this." Calvin reassured him.

"I can't believe I trusted her…"

"How do we even know it was her? They both could've been taken man. Listen, I know you've got a thing for her David, let's not make her a villain just yet." Calvin said.

David opened his mouth to say something, but saw something in the sand. He rushed over to the item, and saw that it was the towel Kaldur left with earlier that day. It honestly could've been anyone's towel, but David was going off of anything he could find. He was determined to find Kaldur tonight. He just hoped that no one had done anything to his boy, because if there was a hair out of place, David wasn't sure if he would be able to hold back from killing the filthy criminal who had done this.

"David…we'll find him. We'll find him." Calvin assured him.

Calvin looked around the beach and shook his head angrily; he wanted to know why this person had chosen Kal of all kids to take. David wasn't a rich guy, he couldn't pay a ransom. Kal could be a handful at times, so he knew that kidnapping him was probably one of the hardest things to do. Calvin continued to wrack his brain for reasons as to why, but he couldn't for the life of him understand why someone would take him.

"Cal…"

"Dammit Cal, pay attention! Look straight ahead and tell me what you see." David hissed

Calvin glanced down the beach and to his horror saw two bodies near the shore. "David…" He started.

"If they're dead…" David began.

"Man, that might not be them." Calvin said, his voice getting shaky.

Before Calvin could open his cellphone to call the police, David was running towards the two bodies at full speed. Calvin took a deep breath and ran after his friend, warning him not to get too close. He didn't want to see what would happen if those bodies turned out to be Kal, and Melissa's. When he neared the location of the bodies he nearly wept; they were asleep. Soaking wet, and a little cold and clammy, but they were only sleeping.

"What did I tell you man? I told you they'd be okay." Calvin said with a cheeky smile.

David rolled his eyes and picked Kaldur up, hugging the boy close to his chest, "Just get Melissa. We're going back to my place so I can get these two warmed up."

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><p><strong>Hmmm.<strong>


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